In biological systems, proper function crucially depends on dealing with large amounts of information received from a usually noisy environment. Filtering out the noise, finding structure in the incoming information, memorizing this information, and eventually using it for generating proper response are fundamental operations performed by these systems. The scale at which these operations are performed ranges from individual cells to multispecies communities.

This workshop is the third one in a series which has been initiated in 2010 at Nordita. The first two editions in 2010 and 2011 were highly appreciated by the participants, what encouraged us to continue, in order to provide a forum where scientists in the Nordic countries working in the area of Statistical Physics can meet regularly. The workshop series brings together experts interested in the broad spectrum of timely problems in (classical) Statistical Physics, ranging from fundamental aspects in the theory of non-equilibrium processes to modern applications in biophysics.

The school is part of the Nordita program Dynamics of Biomolecular Processes: From Atomistic Representations to Coarse-Grained Models. Topics include: Advanced Monte Carlo methods, Molecular dynamics and force fields, Coarse-graining and multiscale methods, Coarse-grained model of proteins, Hydrodynamic and mesoscopic simulations.

This program focuses on the different methods for modeling the dynamics of biomolecular systems, ranging from force-field based all-atom representation of individual biomolecules to coarse-grained models for multi-component systems. In particular, the link between these 'complementary' modelling approaches, which cover distinct length and time scales, is of central interest.

The conference is part of the Nordita program Exact results in Gauge-String dualities, and is intended to bring together experts in gauge theories, strings, and integrable systems in order to create a discussion forum for future developments in this rapidly evolving field.

There has been remarkable progress in understanding non-perturbative dynamics of gauge fields and their relationship to string theory in recent years. Many important developments have been made by using methods of exactly solvable systems. The topics will include (i) exact results in the AdS/CFT correspondence (ii) scattering amplitudes (iii) supersymmetric gauge theories (iv) Bethe ansatz and exact solvability in quantum field theory

The purpose of this winter school is to provide PhD students and young postdocs in the Nordic countries with introductory courses in a range of the most important topics in the field of theoretical particle physics. The school will provide a way to bring together students and young postdocs across different fields, research institutions and countries.

The workshop is the part of the Nordita scientific program Geometry of Strings and Fields which runs November 1-30 2011 at Nordita. The program during this meeting will consist of three lecture series by invited speakers, and short talks by students and young researchers who wish to contribute.

The 4-week program will be devoted to geometrical subjects motivated by string theory, and to recent developments in string theory and related physical fields (quantum field theory) which are of strong geometrical interest. While the program will cover all areas of interaction between string theory and geometry, to provide additional focus we will emphasize particular subareas such as: the application of supersymmetry in differential geometry, generalized geometry, vertex algebras, topological field theories.

A multidisciplinary program to celebrate the 70th birthday of Uriel Frisch. The principal scientific topics are going to be turbulence, nonlinear dynamics, statistical mechanics, atmospheric and biological applications of nonlinear physics. A tentative list of themes includes Fluid turbulence, Turbulent dynamo, Lattice-gas, Lattice-Boltzmann, Optimal transport and applications, Biologically inspired problems, Weather and Climate physics.

The program is centered around modern developments in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics both with respect to fundamental aspects (fluctuation theorems, entropy production, fluctuation-dissipation theorems) as well as applications (noise-induced phenomena, biophysical problems).

Thanks to novel light sources, ultrafast atomic and solid-state processes in the femto- and attosecond time scale can be monitored in real time.

The purpose of this school is to introduce PhD students and young researchers to a selection of topics in Random Geometry through lecture series by experts in the field. Topics to be covered include percolation theory, statistical mechanics, random matrices, stochastic Loewner evolution and random graphs.

Understanding the origin of solar and stellar magnetic field is one of the central problems of physics and astrophysics, and a key to understanding the cosmic magnetism, in general.

The idea is to have a small relaxed two day workshop, that in the spirit of the previous events allows plenty of time for informal discussions between the talks. The focus of the symposium will be the interplay of topological order and quantum information theory. The topics will range from implementations of topological quantum computation to employing quantum information techniques in understanding topologically ordered condensed matter systems.

The program will try to cover what string theory has to say about physics beyond the Standard Models of both particle physics and cosmology. Topics may include but are not limited to: string effective actions, string instantons, stringy supersymmetry breaking, intersecting D-branes, generalized flux compactifications, inflation in string theory, string-inspired MSSM-like models and dark matter in those models.

This workshop, held in Mariehamn on Åland, intends to bring together scientists interested in the self-assembly of DNA nanostructures. So-called DNA origami uses the specific Watson-Crick base-pairing between complementary nucleic acids on many different short strands which in solution self-assemble to large complex yet programmable shapes. They hold promise for providing a versatile "toolbox" to engineer and manufacture complex nano-machinery with manifold applications in biotechnology and nanoelectronics.

This one-week school is part of the Nordita program "Predictability".

Predicting the unpredictable is a challenge that is common to various physical systems whose dynamics is governed by the equations of fluid dynamics. The oldest example is weather prediction. Other examples include climate prediction, space weather forecast, and solar cycle forecast. The mathematics developed for these applications is extremely interesting and deserves more detailed understanding, so that these techniques can be used also in other areas where the application of this technique is less well developed.

This conference is part of the Nordita program Applications of network theory: from mechanisms to large-scale structure.

The main idea is to convene key world-class researchers on complex networks and let them interact freely with the Nordic groups interested in the area. The program will be divided into four thematic areas: biological networks, general network theory, technological networks, and social networks. Many of the intended participants are interested in several of these points.
A more intense, 3-day workshop will be arranged during the middle of the program.

Research topics to be covered include: cosmological probes of dark energy, induced gravity on higher codimension surfaces and defects, K–essence, alternatives to the cosmological constant, technical naturalness as a qualified guide to new physics, vacuum structure, and stringy perspectives.

The workshop intends to bring together and promote collaboration between scientists from the Nordic countries working on equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics with application to biological and complex systems. The subjects covered during the workshop will range from biopolymer manipulation, biological and genetic networks to glassy systems, transport phenomena in low-dimensional systems, and computer simulations.

The alpha effect is a prototype of non-diffusive turbulent transport phenomena that play important roles in understanding the formation of ordered magnetic fields from turbulent and chaotic motions. Examples include the large-scale magnetic field of the Sun, its 11 year cycle, as well as similar phenomena in other stars, accretion disks, and galaxies. In recent years, this subject has attracted ever growing attention through close comparisons with laboratory and numerical experiments. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss recent progress and to highlight outstanding problems, clarify controversies, and to identify future possibilities for making progress.

The main purpose of this winterschool is two-fold. First of all, the students will be introduced to some of the basics milestones of condensed matter theory, such as Fermi-Liquid theory, Luttinger liquids and BCS theory. Secondly, more modern topics will be introduced at a basic level. The topics will be chosen from fields ranging from cold atomic gasses, soft condensed matter and topological phases of matter, such as topological insulators. The school will be aimed at graduate students.

The impressively successful classical theories on phase transitions are based on the thermodynamic limit, which implies infinitely large or small extension on all the systems that are considered. These theories fail, however, to address many important aspects, as finiteness in extension is apparent in most physical systems. The question is of highly generic nature and has significance within condensed matter physics, chemistry as well as biology.
This program will run in two installments: 15 February-1 March and 12-17 December 2010.

The concept of Random Geometry covers a variety of techniques and methods. These include the physics of interfaces in statistical mechanical systems, polymer and membrane physics, the theory of propagating strings relevant in high energy physics, the functional integral approach to quantum gravity, the description of gene regulatory networks as well as of computer networks and their use in the design of algorithms, and also random graphs and random maps with important applications in physics, combinatorics and probability theory.
Two workshops, 1-2 November and 6-7 December, and a mini-conference, 22-23 November, are planned during the program period.

The program during this meeting will consist of two lecture series by invited speakers, and short talks by students and young researchers who wish to contribute.

The interdisciplinary field of quantum information processing and communication connects at its deepest level quantum mechanics, photonics, solid state physics, superconductivity, atomic physics, and electronics with computer science and information theory in order to gain advantages and functionality in cryptography, communication, and computing that are impossible to achieve within the realm of classical physics. This conference is part of the Nordita program Quantum Information, will focus on physical and theoretical aspects of quantum information processing and communication, as well as on their physical implementation.

The interdisciplinary field of quantum information processing and communication connects at its deepest level quantum mechanics, photonics, solid state physics, atomic physics, and electronics with computer science and information theory in order to gain features in cryptography, communication, and computing that are impossible to achieve using classical methods. Quantum information science has also revitalized the discussions about the foundations of quantum theory. This field has grown explosively and is now one of the hottest subfields of both computer science and physics.

This conference, arranged jointly by NORDITA and the European Science Foundation network INSTANS, as part of the workshop Quantum Matter in Low Dimensions: Opportunities and Challenges, will address fundamental questions encountered in the modern physics of low-dimensional matter, with focus on phenomena in electronic and cold atom systems driven by quantum effects and strong interactions.

The workshop is aimed at bringing together experts in the fields of nanoscale and low-dimensional condensed matter physics, quantum gases, integrable models, statistical and quantum field theory, and mathematical physics, to develop interdisciplinary communication and collaborations. Experimentalists will be visiting for shorter periods, to provide overview talks on recent developments.
A conference, co-sponsored by INSTANS, will be held 6-10 September.

This conference is a part of the Nordita program on "Quantum solids, liquids, and gases" and will focus on frontiers in physics of quantum solids, liquids and gases (defined in a broad sense).

The program will focus on frontiers in physics of quantum solids, liquids and gases (defined in a broad sense).

During the last few years, various possibilities to experimentally test quantum gravity within the near future have been proposed, based on effective models that incorporate features like deformations of special relativity, extra dimensions, a fundamentally minimal length, space-time foam, or traces from quantum effects in the early universe in cosmological data. With this workshop, we bring together people from different areas in order to assess these possibilities and encourage discussions.

The use of integrability has lead to remarkable progress in our understanding of non-perturbative dynamics in gauge theories and their relationship to string theory. Highly unexpected links between supersymmetric field theory, spin chains, and two-dimensional sigma-models have been discovered in recent years. This conference, which is part of the Nordita program Integrability in String and Gauge Theories; AdS/CFT Duality and its Applications, is intended to bring together experts in gauge theories, strings, and integrable systems in order to create a discussion forum for future developments in this rapidly evolving field.

The program has two main themes: Integrability in N=4 gauge theories and AdS/CFT duality and its applications to eg. quark-gluon plasmas, non-relativistic CFTs, hydrodynamics, and condensed matter systems.
An objective of the program is to support interaction between the two main themes. It is anticipated that specialists from each group will be simultaneously present, allowing for the exchange of new ideas between the two groups.
The 2010 conference on Integrability in Gauge and String Theories (IGST2010) will be held at the program site from 28 June to 2 July.

For several years, ideas from statistical mechanics have been used in developing inference techniques useful for analyzing high dimensional data. Furthermore, in recent years technological advances in multi-electrode and multi-array recordings have resulted in an increase in the number of elements that can be observed simultaneously in many biological systems. This workshop, held in Mariehamn on Åland, is meant to gather scientists interested in applications of statistical mechanics for building useful inference techniques and the use of such techniques for making sense of multi-electrode/multi-array data, as well as scientits from Computer and Information Science working on similar ideas.

This program has two related focus areas, each of which culminate in a 2-day conference.
Turbulent boundary layers, appearing on solid surfaces of bodies submerged in fluids and in channel and pipe flows, have been the focus of experimental and analytical investigations for almost a century. Still there are several unresolved issues even related to fairly basic mechanisms.
In turbulent combustion there are also many unresolved problems, such as how a turbulent premixed flame propagates. The importance of basic research in connection with energy production is evident. Simulations are important, because questions regarding the temperature distribution cannot easily be addressed experimentally.

The program during this meeting will consist of three lecture series by invited speakers, and short talks by students and young researchers who wish to contribute.

The workshop intends to bring together and promote collaboration between scientists from the Nordic countries working on equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics with application to biological and complex systems. The subjects covered during the workshop will range from biopolymer manipulation, biological and genetic networks to glassy systems, transport phenomena in low-dimensional systems, and computer simulations.

The impressively successful classical theories on phase transitions are based on the thermodynamic limit, which implies infinitely large or small extension on all the systems that are considered. These theories fail, however, to address many important aspects, as finiteness in extension is apparent in most physical systems. The question is of highly generic nature and has significance within condensed matter physics, chemistry as well as biology.
This program will run in two installments: 15 February-1 March and 12-17 December 2010.

The School will provide training for PhD students working in magnetohydrodynamics in general, and in astrophysical dynamos, the geodynamo, and laboratory dynamos in particular. In the last 10 years major theoretical advances have led to a much deeper understanding of dynamos. In addition, three different laboratory experiments have now been successful in displaying dynamo action, broadening the range of phenomena that need to be understood theoretically.

This four-week event joins a school, a scientific program and a conference, where teachers, students and scientists in computational science and engineering will be brought together to present, discuss and solve problems in areas of reserach involving multiple scales.

A special workshop in the honor of the 70th birthday of Professor Ilkka Tuominen, held during the Nordita program Solar and Stellar Dynamos and Cycles

Understanding the origin of solar and stellar magnetic fields is one of the central problems of physics and astrophysics, and a key to understanding the cosmic magnetism, in general. The first two weeks of the programme are dedicated to stellar dynamo theory and observations, and the last two for solar magnetic activity, dynamos and data assimilation methods. The 5th-6th of October there is a special workshop in the honor of the 70th birthday of Professor Ilkka Tuominen.

Bringing together experts on neutron star dynamics, condensed matter and nuclear physics, surface layers and the magnetosphere, the key questions taht will be discussed are: What input from microphysics calculations do we need to build realistic theoretical models? What bounds can the dynamical models in conjunction with observations provide on the state of matter at extreme densities? How do we use observations to constrain these parameters? If a neutron star is oscillating, how does information of the oscillations propagate to the observers?

The Pencil Code User Meeting is an annual meeting dedicated to the Pencil Code. The purpose of the meeting is to bring regular users and core developers together to discuss scientific and technical progress since the last meeting, to instigate collaborative projects and to allow new users to learn more about the code and to interact with other users and developers. The Pencil Code Meeting 2009 will be held August 24-28 2009 at the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany.

A workshop around the theme of combining different datasets relevant for the epoch of reionization. Several different types of surveys are currently aiming at detecting signatures from the era beyond redshift 6, which is when the reionization of the Universe happened. Each of these surveys is at the cutting edge of what is possible, and detecting the desired signatures will be challenging. However, by comparing or cross-correlating the same areas on the sky between different data sets, a clearer detection may be possible.

The aim of this workshop is to bring together a group of theorists with a broad and varied range of competences in numerical techniques, low energy effective theories, conformal field theory and lattice models, but with quantum Hall phenomena as a common interest.

The traditional Nordita one-week summer school in physics for students from the Nordic and Baltic countries will be organized this year in Hillerød, Denmark. The school aims at introducing frontier areas of physics research by world top scientists at a level understandable for undergraduate students, and also to stimulate further studies. The following four series of lectures, each of five hours, will be given. The lectures will be accompanied by exercises in groups and discussion sessions: Physics of climate, Quantum photonics, Astronomy, High energy physics.

The exciting prospect of exploring the Higgs sector of the Standard Model and its presumed extensions at the LHC has renewed interest in electroweak baryogenesis and the electroweak phase transition.

This conference is held in connection with the Nordita program Physics of Relativistic Flows. It is centered on observations of relativistic flows and jets in astrophysical sources: AGN, GRBs, microquasars, etc. We anticipate that combining the two approaches will stimulate discussion and increase collaboration.

This workshop, held in Mariehamn on Åland, is meant to gather together scientists interested in the applications and theory of game theory with the statistical mechanics viewpoint in mind. Thus we expect to invite and attract statistical physicists, computer scientists, and biologists.

Relativistic jets are responsible for the huge luminosities seen in active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts and are probably launched from the central black holes in these objects. The details of the jet launching mechanism, its acceleration, mechanisms of the energy dissipation, particle acceleration and the emission remain unknown.

A meeting on the occasion of the 50th birthday of Axel Brandenburg (Nordita, Stockholm, Sweden). The location has been chosen in Finland, where the academic career of Axel has started. The scope of the meeting covers the broad range of Axel's research interests, from planets to the Sun and stars, to galaxies, and to the Early Universe, with emphasis on the role and origin of magnetic fields, and on numerical experiments. Axel has published with about 130 coauthors.

The research topics to be covered at the program are: neutrino physics, dark matter, cosmology, supersymmetry, dark energy, inflation, extra dimensions, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, supernovae, leptogenesis.
We intend to keep the program rather loose what concerns seminars, thus giving more time for actual research and discussing future research projects among the participants of the program.

How much do we actually know about the environmental and health effects of nanomaterials? Too little. Is there possibly reason for concern? Yes. Is it possible that nanomaterials could be used for applications improving the quality our lives, if we just understood their properties well enough. Definitely yes.
The syposium is organized as part of the Nordita scientific program Theoretical Assessment and Prediction of the Biological and Environmental Effects of Nanomaterials.

The environmental and health effects of nanomaterials are of global concern, both in view of assessing the impact of nanomaterials discharged into nature and for a safe and transparent development of nanotechnology, especially in relation to novel applications in biomedicine.
The aim of this scientific program is to establish an international think-tank of researchers excelling in state-of-the-art computational and analytical theoretical methods to assess these and related issues.

The workshop is the part of the Nordita scientific program Geometrical Aspects of String Theory which runs October 15 - December 15 2008 at Nordita.

The workshop is the part of the Nordita scientific program Geometrical Aspects of String Theory which runs October 15 - December 15 2008 at Nordita.

Ever since the birth of superstring theory, interaction with geometry has been one of the primary driving forces that has led to progress. On one hand, string theory has generated many new geometrical concepts; and on the other hand new ideas from geometry have often found their first applications in string theory.
Within the program there will be the "Geometrical Aspects of String Theory" workshop and "The 22nd Nordic Network Meeting on Strings, Fields and Branes"

Search processes play an important role in physical, chemical, and biological systems, a prominent example playing the encounter of two molecules to perform a chemical reaction as quantified in the Smoluchowsky model. Recent interest is directed toward more complex search processes. In particular, gene regulation in biological cells has been very actively studied.

This school is the anchor in a series of schools organized by Nordita that complement university education and provide direct contact to field leaders in selected research areas, heading towards deep impact research activities. The topics of the school are The Cosmological Constant Challenge and Advanced Inflation.

The Standard Model of Elementary Particle Physics suffers from a number of inconsistencies and requires extreme fine-tuning of parameters in some areas. This has led to the widespread belief that the Standard Model is the low-energy effective theory of some more fundamental theory in which all, or most, of the difficulties plaguing it are removed. The search for this more fundamental theory is one of the main enterprises of theoretical elementary particle physics.

The workshop is part of the program Physics of distributed information systems (PhysDIS). Statistical physics has recently applied been to understanding, analysis and design of large distributed information systems. These range from decoding algorithms (Belief Propagation) and phase transitions and typical-case hardness in combinatorial optimization problems to content distribution and dynamical phenomena on the Internet, to the modelling of distributed agent systems - Peer-to-Peer networks, auction mechanisms and more.

Statistical physics has recently applied been to understanding, analysis and design of large distributed information systems. These range from decoding algorithms (Belief Propagation) and phase transitions and typical-case hardness in combinatorial optimization problems to content distribution and dynamical phenomena on the Internet, to the modelling of distributed agent systems - Peer-to-Peer networks, auction mechanisms and more. The PhysDIS program aims to survey current trends in this exciting area, and foster new research into untapped directions.

The origin of astrophysical magnetic fields remains controversial. The intense progress in nonlinear and turbulent dynamo theory of the last ten years has prepared ground for imminent fundamental progress in this area. The programme will bring together experts in various relevant areas in order to (1) identify the critical problems to allow further rapid progress, (2) focus the effort on the most fruitful areas of research and (3) establish new collaborations, especially those between theoreticians and observers, that might ensure such a progress.

Homochirality is a unique property of living matter, and a property that gradually disappears after death. The origin of homochirality is therefore closely linked to the origin of life, which makes this topic a prominent research field in astrobiology.

The purpose of this Astrobiology meeting is to bring together people from the Nordic countries in general and Sweden in particular. There will be time for formal presentation and plenty of time for discussion. The meeting is organized jointly with the Swedish Astrobiology Network (SWAN).

Focus of the program: quantum fluids, Bose-Einstein condensates, supersolids, quantum hall systems, exotic states such as projected quantum fluid states of metallic hydrogen, topological defects and vortex matter in quantum fluids.

The purpose of the 3-day symposium is to highlight the role of radiation in fluid dynamical activity throughout astrophysics. A wide range of topics will be considered including thermal effects in the solar atmosphere and sunspots, radiation pressure driven dynamics such as photon bubbles in hot stars and accretion discs and reionization of the Universe by the first stars.

The program during this meeting will consist of lecture series by invited speakers, and short talks by students and young researchers who wish to contribute.